Breakaway sign post

ABSTRACT

A breakaway sign post assembly ( 30 ) including a sign support post ( 32 ), an anchoring post ( 34 ) and a breakaway collar ( 100 ). The breakaway collar ( 100 ) includes a sidewall ( 102 ) which surrounds the sign support post ( 32 ). The sidewall ( 102 ) includes at least one substantially vertical line of weakness ( 120 ) configured to facilitate a portion of the sidewall ( 102 ) to give way. The sidewall ( 102 ) retains the sign support post ( 32 ) in a manner to define a fulcrum ( 134 ) about which the sign support post ( 32 ) turns when a vehicle impacts and exerts a lateral force at an impact location, with the fulcrum ( 134 ) being positioned below the impact location so that the support post ( 32 ) will swing generally away from the vehicle.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation application of Ser. No. 09/334,032 filed Jun. 15,1999, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to the field of posts, barriers and supportstructures. More particularly, the invention is concerned with abreakaway sign post collar which directs the location of fall of a signpost when impacted by a vehicle.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Posts of many different varieties are used in association with roadways.They are used for signs, providing information to the vehicle operators,and barriers, directing vehicles away from hazardous areas. Most postsalong a roadway are fixed to the ground by digging a post hole,inserting the post into the hole and then filling the hole with concreteor other material to support the post.

These posts are often hit by vehicles using the roadways, which usuallyresults in the breaking of the post. When the post breaks, the topportion of the post can rotate toward the vehicle and possibly enter thepassenger compartment. This can result in serious injuries for theoccupants or even death.

A further problem with the posts currently in use is the difficulty inreplacing the post once it has been broken. To reinstall the post, theoriginal concrete must be dug up and removed. Then, a new post isinserted into the hole and new concrete poured in to fix it in place.This is labor intensive and requires several man hours for each postthat is broken.

There has thus developed a need for a sign post that provides a measureof safety by directing the fall of the post when struck by a vehicle andyet is simple and inexpensive to reinstall after a being impacted by thevehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention solves the problems mentioned above and provides adistinct advance in the state of the art. In particular, the breakawaysign post assembly hereof directs the fall of a sign post, when the postis struck by a vehicle, and is both economical and easy to replace whenbroke.

The breakaway sign post assembly of the present invention broadlyincludes a sign support post and a breakaway collar. The collar includesa sidewall that at least substantially extends about the support postand is configured to support the sign post in an upright orientation.The sidewall retains the support post in a manner to define a fulcrumabout which the sign support post turns when a vehicle impacts andexerts a lateral force at an impact location on the support post. Thefulcrum is positioned below the impact location so that the support postwill swing generally away from the vehicle. The sidewall includes a zoneof weakness projecting from the top edge toward the fulcrum and beingconfigured to facilitate a portion of the sidewall to give way allowingthe support post to turn about the fulcrum when the lateral force isexerted against the impact location.

In preferred forms, the breakaway sign post assembly includes ananchoring post to which the breakaway collar is removably fastened. Theline of weakness may be a pair of open slots located opposite the impactlocation. The anchoring post and the sign support post are each anI-beam, formed from synthetic resin material. Further, the sign supportpost is removably attached to the breakaway collar by an adhesive. Theresulting breakaway sign post assembly controls the direction of thesign support post's fall, while being easier and more economic toreplace after a vehicular accident.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial pictorial view of an assembled breakaway sign postassembly in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary rear view of the breakaway sign post assembly ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3—3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 3—3 of FIG. 2, showing thesign support beam turning about the fulcrum upon impact;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5—5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary rear view of a second embodiment of theinventive breakaway sign post assembly similar to that shown in FIG. 1,but having a fulcrum point spaced relatively farther from the end of thesupport beam;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary front view of the breakaway sign post assemblyof FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8—8 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 8, but showing the signsupport beam turning about the fulcrum upon impact;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of a third embodiment of thepresent invention, wherein the breakaway collar is omnidirectional sothat the support beam swings properly away from the vehicle whenimpacted by the vehicle on any one of its four sides;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line 11—11 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 11, but showing the signsupport beam turning about the fulcrum upon impact;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary perspective view of a fourth embodiment of thepresent invention, wherein the breakaway collar is omnidirectionalsimilar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 10-12, but has open slots atthe corners;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along line 14—14 of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 14, but showing the signsupport beam turning about the fulcrum upon impact;

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary perspective view of a fifth embodiment of thepresent invention, wherein the breakaway collar is omnidirectionalsimilar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 13-15 but has wedge-shaped openslots defined along just two sides;

FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken along line 17—17 of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 17, but showing the signsupport beam turning about the fulcrum upon impact;

FIG. 19 is a fragmentary perspective view of a sixth embodiment of thepresent invention, wherein the breakaway collar is omnidirectional andis provided with notches in its uppermost top edge and open slots at itscorners;

FIG. 20 is a sectional view taken along line 20—20 of FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 20, but showing the signsupport beam turning about the fulcrum upon impact;

FIG. 22 is a fragmentary perspective view of a seventh embodiment of thepresent invention, wherein the breakaway collar is omnidirectional andcylindrical in shape so as to properly swing away from the vehicle whenthe impact comes from virtually any direction;

FIG. 23 is a sectional view taken along line 23-—23 of FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 23, but showing the signsupport beam turning about the fulcrum upon impact.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The drawing figures illustrate a preferred breakaway sign post assembly30 constructed in accordance with the present invention. The breakawaysign post assembly 30 generally comprises a sign support post 32, ananchoring post 34 and a breakaway collar 100.

The sign support post 32 is an elongated post presenting a bottom end 38and a top end 40. As shown in FIG. 1, the top end 40 presents a frontface 42 on which a sign 44 or some other type of information conveyingdevice may be attached. The sign support post 32 is preferablyintegrally formed from synthetic resin material such as high densitypolyethylene, but other suitable materials such as metal or even woodcould be used for the sign support post 32. The sign support post 32preferably comprises a so-called “I-beam” so as to decrease the amountof material used without sacrificing any strength characteristics.However, any suitable shape such as a circle, square, or other polygonalcross-sections could be used.

The anchoring post 34 presents an anchoring end 46 and a supporting end48. The material and shape for the anchoring post 34 are preferably thesame as for the sign support post 32. Also, the anchoring end 46 couldbe shaped for increased stability in the ground.

The breakaway collar 100 is preferably integrally formed of syntheticresin material such as high density polyethylene. However, any materialwith comparable characteristics could also be employed. The firstembodiment of breakaway collar 100 is shown in FIGS. 1-5. This breakawaycollar is unidirectional so as to be designed for impact from only asingle direction. The breakaway collar 100 comprises a first sidewall102, defining a first recess 104, a second sidewall 106, defining asecond recess 108, and a floor 110 separating the recesses 104,108. Thefirst sidewall is generally rectangular in transverse cross-section. Thefirst sidewall 102 presents a front 112, a back 114, a pair of sides 116and an uppermost top edge 118. The front 112, back 114 and sides 116 areall preferably about half an inch thick, about 6 inches tall, and 4½inches wide (measured from corner to corner), but the dimensions couldbe varied.

As shown in FIG. 3, the uppermost top edge 118 of first sidewall 102 canbe inclined from the front 112 to the back 114. Referring again to FIG.2, the first sidewall 102 of the first embodiment of the unidirectionalcollar 100 includes a zone of weakness, preferably in the form of a pairof lines of weakness 120 that project downwardly from the top edge 118.The lines of weakness 120 are located on the back 114 of the firstsidewall 102 in general alignment with the sides of the support post 32.The lines of weakness 120 are preferably open slots in the sidewall 102,but could also be a portion of the first sidewall 102 that has reducedthickness or has been scored to decrease the strength along thesubstantially vertical line. The vertical lines of weakness 120 do notreach the floor 110, but could extend all the way to the floor. Inbetween the weakness lines 120 is a portion 122 of the back 114 of thesidewall 102, with the wall portion 122 consequently being generally aswide as the sign support post 32. As will subsequently be described, thewall portion 122 between the weakness lines 120 is designed to give wayor bend relative to the remaining portion of the sidewall 102 when thesupport beam 32 is impacted.

The first sidewall 102 also includes at least one hinge line 124. Thehinge line 124 is located on the back 112 of the first sidewall 102. Thehinge line 124 is preferably a V-shaped groove that causes the sidewallto be of reduced thickness, although scoring or any other method knownto one skilled in the art to make an area of the collar more susceptibleto bending maybe used to form the hinge 124. The hinge 124 essentiallydefines a line of weakness along the back 114 of the sidewall 102. Thehinge 124 is particularly useful in controlling the bending of the wallportion 122 defined between the slots 120. That is to say, when asufficient force is exerted against the front of the wall portion 122,the hinge 124 will likely define the line about which the wall portion122 bends. It is noted that the open slots 120 terminate short of thehinge 124 (i.e., the bottom ends of the slots 120 are spaced from thehinge 124), and accordingly, the portion 122 of the sidewall 102 definedtherebetween will be required to tear or shear to permit bending of thewall portion 122 about the hinge 124. However, it is believed that theends of the slots 120 define stress concentration points that facilitatesuch tearing or shearing. It is also noted that the hinge 124 is locatedgenerally the same distance from the top edge 118 of the sidewall 102 asthe floor 110. In this respect, the wall portion 122, which is designedto give way, extends essentially from the top edge 118 to the floor 110and is bendable about the hinge 124.

The preferred second side wall 106 is also generally rectangular intransverse cross-section and presents the same dimension as the firstside wall 102, although the side walls 102,106 need not be of the sameshape and size. It is again noted that the floor 110 is located betweenand separates the generally opposite facing first and second recesses104, 108. The anchoring post 34 is attached to the second sidewall 106using screws 137. Other fasteners or fastening methods which are able tosecurely hold the anchoring post 34 to the second sidewall 106 can alsobe used.

In operation, the anchoring end 46 of the anchoring post 34 is fixed tothe ground 78. This can be accomplished by any method known by thoseskilled in the art. For instance, a hole could be dug in the ground, theanchoring post 34 placed into the hole and then the rest of the holefilled with concrete. The support end 48 of the anchoring post 34 shouldbe about four inches from the ground 78.

Once the anchoring post 34 is fixed, the unidirectional breakaway collar100 is placed on the support end 48 of the anchoring post 34 with thefloor 110 contacting the support end 48. The collar 100 is removablyfastened to the anchoring post 34 so that the front 112 of the firstsidewall 1-2 generally faces toward the vehicular traffic. The collar100 can be fastened by adhesive or by a fastener 137 such as a screw ornut and bolt. A suitable adhesive is sold under the trademark ELASTENE,as part number 1357013, by Macco Adhesives, of Cleveland, Ohio 44115.

Next, the sign support post 32 is inserted into the first recess 104 sothat the sidewall 102 extends about the bottom end 38 of the supportpost 32. The breakaway collar 100 is configured to support the signsupport post 32 in an upright orientation. The sign support post 32 isfastened to the back 114 of the unidirectional collar 100 usingfasteners 136, although other suitable means (e.g., adhesive, spotwelding or nuts and bolts) may be used. A pair of shearable nut and boltassemblies 132 project through the support post 32 and sides 116 toassist with such attachment yet permit movement of the post 32 relativeto the sides when a sufficient force is exerted against the front of thepost 32.

It should be apparent from the foregoing that the first sidewall 102releasably retains the support post 32 in an upright condition. That is,the first sidewall 102 maintains the support post 32 upright andgenerally in axial alignment with the anchor post 34, until a sufficientload is exerted against the front 112 of the post 32. Assuming such animpact is above the floor 110, the sidewall 102 will at least initiallyrestrict movement of the bottom end 38 of the support post 32 so as todefine a fulcrum 134 about which the support post 32 turns. The openslots facilitate turning movement of the post about the fulcrum 134 byallowing the portion 122 of the first sidewall 102 to give way.Moreover, the wall portion 122 will likely bend about the hinge 124 and,because the support post is attached to the wall portion 122 by thescrews 136, the post 32 will also turn about the hinge 124. Accordingly,it is believed that the fulcrum 134 for the support post 32 will likelybe defined at the hinge 124. It is also noted that such turning of thesupport post 32 will cause the nut and bolt assemblies 132 to sheer, andthese assemblies must be designed to fail accordingly.

Thus, when a vehicle strikes the front 112 of the support post 32 andthereby exerts a generally lateral or rearward force against the post32, the post will predictably turn generally away from the vehicle(i.e., the top end 40 of the post 32 will swing away from the vehicle)about a point defined generally at the hinge 124. This predictablefailure sequence of course assumes that the impact location is above thefulcrum 134, and the breakaway collar 100 is consequently designed andpositioned to locate the fulcrum 134 at a point sufficiently close tothe ground 78 to ensure that virtually all vehicular impact will occurabove the fulcrum 134.

Replacement of the collar 100 simply requires detachment from the anchorpost 34 and then installation of a new collar and in some cases, a newsupport post 32, as described hereinabove. In the illustratedembodiment, detachment if the collar 100 requires only removal of thescrews 137. If the support post 32 has not been damaged and can bereused, it may be similarly detached from the failed collar by removingscrews 136 and then attached to the new collar.

A second embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS.6-9, with the breakaway collar 200 of the second embodiment beingsimilar to the collar 100 shown in FIGS. 1-5 in the sense that thecollar is unidirectional. However, the collar 200 defines the fulcrum220 for the support post 216 at a different location. It is particularlynoted that the first sidewall 202 includes a second portion 204 locatedon the front 208 of the sidewall 202 between a second pair ofsubstantially vertical lines of weakness 206. A second hinge line 214 isalso positioned on the front 208 of the first sidewall 202. Further, thefirst hinge line 210 is spaced higher relative to the floor 212 than onthe first collar 100.

In operation, as the vehicle strikes the sign support post 216 at animpact location (not shown) above the floor 212, the post 216 shouldpredictably turn about the higher fulcrum 220. It is particularly notedthat the omnidirectional collar 200 accommodates vehicular impact on anyside of the support post 216. In order to turn about the fulcrum 220,the bottom end 222 of the post 216 must swing through an arcintersecting the front 208 of the sidewall 202. The pressure exerted bythe bottom end 222 on the front 208 of the sidewall 202 causes thesecond portion 204 of the sidewall to give way about the second hinge214. It is believed that the second portion 204 and first portion 224 ofthe sidewall 202 give way at generally the same time as the post 216turns predictably away from the vehicle.

A third embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS.10-12. The breakaway collar 300 operates from the same principles as thebreakaway collar 100 of the first embodiment, but the collar 300 is“omnidirectional”. That is, the collar 300 is similar to the collar ofthe first embodiment, but each side 304 of the collar 300 includes aportion 302 of the sidewall 318 designed to give way or bend relative tothe remaining portion of the sidewall 318 when the support post 310 isimpacted.

The breakaway collar 300 further includes a hinge line 314 that extendsaround its entire perimeter. Also, each side 304 of the collar 300 istapered as you move from the hinge 314 to the uppermost top edge 308. Itis believed that tapering reduces the risk of collar failure along thehinge line 314 before the wall portion 302 opposite the impact locationgives way. Each side 304 includes a pair of substantially vertical linesof weakness 306. Preferably, the lines of weakness 306 are open slotswhich extend downward from the uppermost top edge 308.

By having a portion 302 of each side 304 configured to give way, thebreakaway collar 300 is able to direct the fall of the sign support post310 when impacted by a vehicle from any one of its sides. The post 310will predictably turn generally away from the vehicle about a pointdefined generally at the hinge line 314.

A fourth embodiment of present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 13-15,with the breakaway collar 400 of the fourth embodiment being similar tothe collar 300 shown in FIGS. 11-12, in the sense that the collar isomnidirectional. However, the collar 400 includes open slots 402 at eachof the corners 404 of the rectangular cross-section. Also, the sides 406of the breakaway collar 400 are each tapered from a line 408 spacedabove the hinge line 410 to the uppermost top edge 412. Further, eachside 406 decreases in width from that same line 408 towards the top edge412. Thus, each vertical slot 402 increases in width from the line 408to the top edge 412.

A fifth embodiment of present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 16-18,with the breakaway collar 500 of the fifth embodiment being similar tothe collar 300 shown in FIGS. 10-12, in the sense that the collar isomnidirectional. However, the collar 500 includes wedge shaped openslots 502 defined along the front 506 and the back 508 of the sidewall504. Two slots 502 are located on the front 506 and two slots 502 arelocated on the back 508. The front 506 and back 508 of the sidewall 504are smaller in width than either side 510. Further, the front 506 andback 508 decrease in width from a line 512 spaced above the hinge line514 toward the top edge 516. Thus, each vertical slot 518 increases inwidth from the line 512 to the top edge 516. Unlike the front 506 andback 508, neither of the sides 510 decrease in width.

A sixth embodiment of present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 19-21with the breakaway collar 600 of the sixth embodiment being similar tothe collar 300 shown in FIGS. 10-12 in the sense that the collar isomnidirectional. However, the collar 600 includes open slots 602 at eachof the corners 606 of the rectangular cross-section. Further, the collar600 is provided with notches 614 on each side 612 of its uppermost topedge 610. The notches 614 are generally centrally located along the topedge 610 of each side 612. The notch 614 allows the collar 600 to beformed with less material and it further reduces the risk of collarfailure along the hinge line 608 before the side 612 is permitted tobend about the hinge line 608 as desired.

A seventh embodiment of present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 22-24with the breakaway collar 700 of the seventh embodiment being similar tothe collar 300 shown in FIGS. 10-12 in the sense that the collar isomnidirectional. However, the collar 700 is cylindrical in shape so asto properly swing away from the vehicle when the impact comes fromvirtually any direction. The cylindrical shape allows the collar 700 tobe used with a cylindrical sign support post 702. The slots 704 projectfrom the uppermost top edge 712 and are circumferentially spaced fromeach other around the circumference 706. The lines of weakness 704 arepreferably spaced every ninety degrees, although the slots 704 could bespaced in other increments (i.e. every forty-five or sixty degrees).Each portion 708 tapers from the hinge line 710 to the uppermost topedge 712.

In operation the collar 700 at the seventh embodiment operates similarto the collar 300 of the third embodiment. The only notable differenceis the operation of the arc portions 708 when a collision occurs. Theportion 708 on the side generally opposite from the impact location (notshown) is configured to give way, bending about the circumferentialhinge 710. In other words, any portion 708 that is more than ninetydegrees around the circumference 706 from the point of impact will bendsufficiently to allow the sign support post 702 to turn about thefulcrum 722, generally away from the impacting vehicle.

Each of the omnidirectional collars 300,400,500,600,700 is preferablyattached to the sign support posts using an adhesive. A suitableadhesive is sold under the trademark ELASTENE, as part number 1357013,by Macco Adhesives, of Cleveland, Ohio 44115. However, a spot weld or apair of shear screws could also be employed. The adhesive must preventthe sign support posts from being pulled out of the breakaway collar byvandals or high winds, while still allowing the sign support post to bereleased from the collar (i.e., detached from the “non-bending portionsof the sidewall) as the sign support post turns away from an impactingvehicle.

Those skilled in the art will now appreciate the benefits of the presentinvention. For example, the ability to remove a broken collar from theanchoring post and replace it with a new breakaway collar saves labor.The sign support post and the anchoring post are reusable, thus savingmaterial. Another benefit of the design is that safety is increasedbecause the sign support post turns and lays down away from theimpacting vehicle. A further benefit is that the materials preferablyused are environmentally friendly. Instead of cutting down trees toreplace a broken sign post, recycled plastic can be employed.

Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the present inventionencompasses many variations in the preferred embodiments describedherein. The preferred embodiment uses integrally formed synthetic resinI-beams for the sign support post and anchoring post, but various othermaterials and post shapes may be used. As another example, the signsupport post and anchoring post are built to be reusable, but either oneor both could be replaced after a vehicular collision. The shape of thebreakaway collar is rectangular or circular in cross-section, but otherpolygonal shapes could also be used. Additionally, the hinge lines couldbe slots, small scoring or not used at all.

Having thus described the preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, the following is claimed as new and desired to be secured byLetters Patent:

What is claimed is:
 1. A breakaway collar configured to support a signsupport post on an anchoring post in a manner to cause the sign supportpost to swing generally away from a vehicle when the vehicle impacts andexerts a lateral force against the sign support post, said breakawaycollar comprising: a body configured to be removably supported on theanchoring post, said body including an upper sidewall that presents anuppermost top edge, said upper sidewall including a zone of weaknessprojecting downwardly from the uppermost top edge and configured tofacilitate a portion of the sidewall to give way when the lateral forceis imparted to the sidewall by the sign support post.
 2. The breakawaycollar as set forth in claim 1, said zone of weakness comprising atleast one substantially vertical line of weakness.
 3. The breakawaycollar as set forth in claim 2, said at least one line of weaknesscomprising an open slot.
 4. The breakaway collar as set forth in claim1, said zone of weakness comprising a pair of spaced apart,substantially parallel open slots.
 5. The breakaway collar as set forthin claim 1, said zone of weakness comprising a pair of spaced apart,substantially vertical open slots, said slots and an impact location ofthe lateral force being located on generally opposite sides of thecollar.
 6. The breakaway collar as set forth in claim 5, said portion ofsaid sidewall being defined generally between the slots.
 7. Thebreakaway collar as set forth in claim 1, said sidewall being polygonalin shape to present a plurality of sides, said zone of weaknesscomprising a pair of spaced apart, substantially vertical lines ofweakness in each of the sides of the sidewall.
 8. The breakaway collaras set forth in claim 1, said zone of weakness comprising a pair ofspaced apart, substantially vertical, substantially parallel lines ofweakness, said lines of weakness being spaced apart a distance adaptedto be at least as large as the width of the sign post adjacent the zoneof weakness.
 9. A breakaway collar configured to support a sign post onan anchor post in a supported position, said breakaway collar furtherconfigured to allow the sign post to swing generally away from a vehicleinto an impacted position when the vehicle impacts and exerts a lateralforce against the sign post, said breakaway collar comprising: a firstportion adapted to be coupled to the sign post; a second portion adaptedto be coupled to the anchor post; and a pivot joint positioned at leastpartly between the portions and operable to allow for pivotal movementof at least part of one of the portions relative to the other of theportions when the sign post swings from the supported position to theimpacted position, said pivot joint operable to at least substantiallyinhibit translational movement of the portions relative to one anotherwhen the sign post swings from the supported position to the impactedposition, said first portion including a swinging wall and a holdingwall, said swinging wall adapted to pivot relative to the second portionwhen the sign post swings from the supported position to the impactedposition, said holding wall adapted to remain at least substantiallyundeformed when the sign post swings from the supported position to theimpacted position; a first fastener adapted to at least partly couplethe swinging wall and the sign post to one another when the sign post isin the supported position and the impacted position; and a secondfastener adapted to at least partly couple the holding wall to the signpost, said second fastener adapter to be sheared, thereby decoupling theholding wall and the sign post, when the sign post swings from thesupported position to the impacted position.
 10. A breakaway collarconfigured to support a sign post on an anchor post in a supportedposition, said breakaway collar further configured to allow the signpost to swing generally away from a vehicle into an impacted positionwhen the vehicle impacts and exerts a lateral force against the signpost, said breakaway collar comprising: a first portion adapated to becoupled to the sign post; a second portion adapted to be coupled to theanchor post; and a pivot joint positioned at least partly between theportions and operable to allow for pivotal movement of at least part ofone of the portions relative to the other of the portions when the signpost swings from the supported position to the impacted position, saidpivot joint operable to at least substantially inhibit translationalmovement of the portions relative to one another when the sign postswings from the supported position to the impacted position, said firstportion including a swinging wall and a holding wall, said swinging walladapted to pivot relative to the second portion when the sign postswings from the supported position to the impacted position, saidholding wall adapted to remain at least substantially undeformed whenthe sign post swings from the supported position to the impactedposition, said swinging wall being defined at least in part of spacedapart elongated slots.
 11. A breakaway collar as set forth in claim 10,said elongated slots positioned at least substantially upright andpresenting upper and lower ends.
 12. The breakaway collar as set forthin claim 11, said slots being open at their respective upper ends.
 13. Abreakaway collar configured to support a sign post on an anchor post ina supported position, said breakaway collar further configured to allowthe sign post to swing generally away from a vehicle and into animpacted position when the vehicle impacts and exerts a lateral forceagainst the sign post, said breakaway collar comprising: a bodyincluding a first portion adapted to be coupled to the sign post and asecond portion adapted to be coupled to the anchor post, said bodyincluding a bending portion, said body configured to bend at saidbending portion when the sign post swings from the supported position tothe impacted position, said first portion being coupled to said secondportion by the bending portion when the sign post is in the impactedposition, said first portion including a bending wall and a holdingwall, said bending wall including said bending portion, said bendingwall adapted to bend when the sign post swings from the supportedposition to the impacted position, said holding wall adapted to remainat least substantially undeformed when the sign post swings from thesupporting position to the impacted position; a first fastener adaptedto at least partly couple the bending wall to the sign post; and asecond fastener adapted to at least partly couple the holding wall tothe sign post, said first fastener adapted to remain fastened to thebending wall and the sign post when the sign post is in the supportedposition and the impacted position, said second fastener adapted to besheared, thereby decoupling the holding wall and the sign post, when thesign post is impacted by the vehicle.
 14. A breakaway collar configuredto support a sign post on an anchor post in a supported position, saidbreakaway collar further configured to allow the sign post to swinggenerally away from a vehicle and into an impacted position when thevehicle impacts and exerts a lateral force against the sign post, saidbreakaway collar comprising: a body including a first portion adapted tobe coupled to the sign post and a second portion adapted to be coupledto the anchor post, said body including a bending portion, said bodyconfigured to bend at said bending portion when the sign post swingsfrom the supported position to the impacted position, said first portionbeing coupled to said second portion by the bending portion when thesign post is in the impacted position, said first portion including abending wall and an holding wall, said bending wall including saidbending portion, said bending wall adapted to bend when the sign postswings from the supported position to the impacted position, saidholding wall adapted to remain at least substantially undeformed whenthe sign post swings from the supporting position to the impactedposition, said being wall being defined at least in part by a pair ofspaced apart, at least substantially vertical slots, said slots havingupper and lower ends.
 15. A breakaway collar as set forth in claim 14,said slots being open at their upper ends.
 16. A breakaway collarconfigured to support a sign support post on anchoring post in an mannerto cause the sign support post to swing generally away from a vehiclewhen the vehicle impacts and exerts a lateral force against the signsupport post, said breakaway collar comprising: a body configured to beremovably supported on the anchoring post, said body including an uppersidewall that presents an uppermost top edge, said sidewall including apair of laterally spaced open slots, said slots being open proximate theuppermost top edge.
 17. A breakaway collar as set forth in claim 16,said slots being at least substantially vertical.
 18. A breakaway collaras set forth in claim 17, said slots being at least substantiallyparallel to one another.